One of Vancouver's oldest Indian restaurants is bringing its run to an end after four decades.
Raga Restaurant at 1177 West Broadway, will close its doors permanently on Jan. 23.
The restaurant, which opened in 1981, is a family-run business, specializing in multi-regional Indian cuisine featuring recipes created by a chef who had cooked for India's Nehru-Gandhi family.
"We are extremely humbled that so many embraced our restaurant and that we were able to succeed as long as we had," says Raga's owners Ricky and Raj Sharma in their closing notice. "For a restaurant to survive and thrive in Vancouver City for more than four decades in an accomplishment of which we can all be proud."
The Sharmas did not offer a reason for the closure.
Among Raga's fans over the years were some famous faces. Raga proudly shares that celebs like actors Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Goldie Hawn dined with them, along with music stars Tina Turner and Bryan Adams, as well as Indian music icon Ravi Shankar. In fact, the word "Raga" is an improvised song in Indian music.
Raga's extensive menu includes items prepared on the restaurant's clay oven (tandoor) like kebabs and naan. Customers have raved about Raga's authentic dishes, particularly dishes like Butter Chicken and Mango Paneer Curry.
"We all know that Raga's place and taste are not replaceable, but we would like to request you to cherish all the wonderful moments you had here while enjoying our Indian cuisine," conclude the Sharmas.
